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Bible Teaching

12 Stones

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 5/26/2024 | 10:00 AM

Text: Joshua 4:1-9

(1)  And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

(2)  Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

(3)  And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

(4)  Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

(5)  And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

(6)  That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

(7)  Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

(8)  And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

(9)  And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

A Memorial of Twelve Stones[1]:

Memorials are extremely important in our society, so that we will remember our heritage and the sacrifices we and others have made to make them possible.

Importance of spiritual memorials for our personal lives and for the church.

A Memorial for Israel, Joshua 4:1-8

  1. Commanded by God.
  2. Fulfilled by Joshua and the people.
  3. Twelve stones from Jordan.

What about the Twelve Stones?

  1. Represented all the people (twelve tribes), verse 2.
  2. Participation by the people, verse 3.
  3. Related to the miracle, verse 3.
  4. Permanence because of the durability and number of the stones.

The Purpose of the Memorial, Joshua 4:20-24

  1. A reminder that God is the one who performed the miracle of deliverance.
  2. Just as He did for previous generations.
  3. A sign to future generations.
  4. A sign to other nations of the power of God.
  5. So that Israel would fear—honor, respect—the Lord forever.

What about it?

  1. We need memorials in our lives. Example: our family’s testimony of conversion.
  2. We need visible memorials that every family and church member participates in.
  3. Not a dead memorial, but a living one, for the same reasons as in Joshua 4.
  4. Heartfelt and demonstrative worship.
  5. Personal and group prayer, including the prayer closet, the prayer room, and the altar.
  6. Praying in the Holy Ghost – Speaking in tongues.
  7. Visible standards of holiness.
  8. Personal witness.
  9. Of course, a memorial is no good without the continuing reality of a transformed life.

Continue shoring up the memorials in your life.

[1] Source: italicized parts – Bernard, David K. (2004). Preaching the Apostolic Faith. p. 83.